Chapter 98: Night Goblin

On the night of the fifth day, Sinuoli was suddenly startled by a commotion. "What is happening outside?" he asked Balin, who was at the door of the room.

"I will go and see!" the young advisor replied.

"Manticore Slayer Rogov and Fatisi Qishi have returned; they have matters to report to you!" Balin soon returned.

"Quickly, invite the warriors in!" Sinuoli beckoned. Soon, two figures, one tall and one short, walked in; they had clearly been through several battles.

There were several new scratches on Fatisi Qishi's Plate Armor, while Rogov, having no armor for protection, had added several new wounds to his body.

"By the Ancestor Goddess, Master Sinuoli, I fear we have encountered trouble!" the Slayer said in a hoarse voice.

"To be precise, your caravan is likely in trouble. A large number of Night Goblins have appeared in the Earth Vein Network leading to Karak-Azgalaz. My men and I, along with the adventurers led by Fatisi Qishi, cleared some of them out, but several companions have already met their deaths!" the Slayer said.

"May the Ancestor Goddess bless them!" Sinuoli invoked the deity's name. He knew that Bretonnian Questing Knights and Dwarf Slayers often cooperated; they both had their own great missions, seeking to fight the strongest and deadliest enemies, and never retreating or fleeing.

The Slayer Oath would not make a Dwarf Slayer give up beer, and Questing Knights likewise retained a need for alcohol, so when conditions permitted, the two would travel together; the Questing Knight could also take on the task of pursuing fleeing monsters.

The Slayer seeks an honorable death, and slaying giant beasts is a means to seek death, not the goal; conversely, the Questing Knight seeks the Grail, hoping to attract the attention of the Lady by slaying giant beasts in Her name. The two do not conflict.

"Night Goblins?" A figure involuntarily surfaced in Sinuoli's mind: it wore a hooded cloak, held a shimmering halberd in its hand, and was arrogantly shouting from the throne that once belonged to the Dwarfs on the upper level of Karak Eight Peaks.

"Legend has it that when the filthy green mushrooms first appeared, a batch of Goblins was born in the caves within the World's Edge Mountains. After hundreds or thousands of years of environmental influence, they underwent significant changes compared to their kin. This subspecies was named Night Goblin by the ancestors."

Rogov assumed Sinuoli did not understand this race and decided to introduce it to the young man before him to prevent him from suffering losses in the days to come.

"Night Goblins are all very small in stature, which suits their habit of living underground. These sinister creatures generally travel through tunnels, whether they were excavated by themselves or built by us Sons of the Mountains. They wear dark cloaks and hoods, making it easy to hide in the dim underground, and once they discover travelers or merchants in the mountains, they emerge from their holes to launch deadly ambushes." Rogov took the beer Balin handed him to moisten his throat.

"Because they are naturally afraid of light, Night Goblins only choose to move at night or on overcast days without the sun. They stay mainly underground, so our conflicts with them are even more frequent than with their disgusting green cronies!"

Listening to the Manticore Slayer, the surrounding Dwarfs nodded repeatedly; basically, every Dwarf family had a Grudge concerning Night Goblins.

"The tunnels excavated by Night Goblins are different from ours; they are crude and exceptionally damp! This makes it convenient for those bastards to place molds to cultivate all kinds of highly toxic mushrooms. Besides being used as food and fuel, these poisonous mushrooms can also be used by the Night Goblins to attract and tame Squigs."

After Rogov finished speaking about the external characteristics of the Night Goblins, he began to talk about their living habits. Noticing the slightly strange looks his clansmen were giving him, Sinuoli suddenly realized why this warrior, who was usually taciturn and weighed down by deep-seated Grudges, was talking so much today.

"Could it be that the rumor that I like to chew hallucinogenic mushrooms has already spread?" Sinuoli had a headache. He recalled that day when the higher-ups of Haojiaobao came to offer gold to the Mother Goddess, someone had stuffed a few handfuls of dried mushrooms under the Oath Gold bag...

"Even compared to their green kin, the courage of Night Goblins is very small. If I had to say, they aren't even as good as rats!" After speaking for a long time, Rogov went off to treat his wounds; after all, bleeding to death could hardly be called honorable. Fatisi Qishi took over the conversation.

"Respected Chosen of the Goddess, I must remind you that when Night Goblins fall into extreme frenzy, they can not only overcome their cowardly nature but also display terrifying combat power that is hard to fathom," Fatisi Qishi continued.

"There is an adventurer in the Empire of Man known as the Goblin Slayer who believes that usually, when the daylight fades and night falls, Night Goblins appear more excited than ordinary Goblins."

Fatisi Qishi's words attracted Sinuoli's attention.

"Goblin Slayer? How so? Is he very skilled at countering these dirty and cunning things?" Sinuoli asked. The Dwarfs had spent a great deal of money to form Ironbreaker units to deal with threats from underground, but if there were more efficient or cheaper solutions, Sinuoli would be very happy to learn a thing or two.

"I have only heard it by hearsay. You know, generally, we Bretonnians believe that the great Lady of the Lake will not cast Her gaze into gloomy tunnels and damp sewers. Goblins, no matter how large they grow or how numerous they are, cannot be compared to Giants and Minotaurs."

Sinuoli knew this point; the Questing Knights' pursuit of large opponents was almost to the point of obsession. Wherever they passed, it could be called a Giant's Bane; of course, if their strength was insufficient, they would also be a meal for a Giant.

A knight story widely circulated in the Old World is that there was once a Questing Knight named Don Quixote who, after searching in vain for Giants, became so anxious and angry that he actually mistook a windmill for a giant beast and challenged it.

"Some Night Goblin Shamans also use potions prepared with poisonous mushrooms to induce frenzy in their companions, making them walk into the battlefield in high spirits after performing rituals," Fatisi Qishi said, returning to the subject of Night Goblins.

"These Night Goblins who have taken the potion are called Fanatics. They use special weapons, which are spiked iron balls swung in continuous rotation. Such fast, wide-range attacks will accidentally injure their own kin. But in the narrow environment underground, there is almost nothing that can parry such a crazy blow from a Night Goblin."

A look of fear appeared on Fatisi Qishi's face; he was not afraid of death, but he did not want to die at the hands of such insignificant fellows as Goblins.

"When clearing the battlefield, the faces of those dead Fanatics even revealed a lingering joy!" Fatisi finished his statement.

Thanks to Lenin for pointing the way, Book Friend, Book Friend for the tip, Captain Wawa, He Ren Mo Xiang Yi, Xin Zhi Huo for the monthly tickets.

Requesting tickets, collections, and tips, ha.